If Only
by Mugen
Summary: Spoilers Touya dies, and Aya turns to Yuuhi for support. But what happens when a girl exactly like Chidori transfers to Yuuhi's school?


If Only…-Chapter 1: Welcome Home 

            "Auntie Suzumi!" A little girl with short strawberry blonde hair, worn up in pigtails ran down the hall of the Aogiri residence.

            "Come here Haru!" Suzumi knelt down and opened her arms to the child.  They both giggled as Aya and Yuuhi came down the hall.

            "Has Haru been good while I'm at school?" Aya asked.  

            "I absolutely love taking care of her!  She's such an angel." Suzumi smiled.  "Now you two go to school!  You're going to be late!"

            "Come on kids!  Get in the car!  We have to make it to school and fast!"  Mrs. Q shouted as the three ran to the car.  Soon the car was bouncing down the street.

            Suzumi watched them go, then put Haru down.  

            "Go get changed.  We're going to visit your daddy today." Suzumi smiled as she watched the 5-year-old run off to her room.

.*.*.

            "Ohayou class.  Today we have a new person joining us." The teacher announced when the bell rung.

            "Do you think it's a girl?" Yuuhi mock-whispered to Aya.  She just sighed, her expression not changing.

            "Come on in Chidori."  Yuuhi's attention snapped from Aya to the door as a girl with brown hair worn up in pigtails and blue eyes walked into the room.

            "Konnichiwa.  My name's Chidori." She looked exactly like the Chidori Yuuhi fell in love with; only she actually looked like she was in high school.

            "Chidori, why don't you take a seat behind Yuuhi?" The teacher pointed to the empty desk behind Yuuhi.  Yuuhi just stared at her.  Could this really be Chidori?  The annoying little girl who he had come to love?

.*.*.

            "Where's daddy?" Haru asked, grasping Suzumi's hand.  Suzumi knelt down in front of a stone grave marker.  The name 'Touya' was inscribed near the top, and a heart was drawn under it.  

            "Right here.  Why don't you give him your flowers?" Suzumi smiled as Haru nodded, knelt in front of the grave, and laid her flowers there.  She looked at the grave marker then sighed.

            "Hi Daddy.  It's Haru.  I'm five years old now.  Look!  I'm wearing your necklace!" Haru took off the cross necklace that Aya had given to her.  "Mommy says it was very special to both of you." Suddenly, Haru's large hazel eyes began to tear up.

            "What's wrong Haru?" Suzumi asked, putting an arm around the child.

            "Daddy never answers me.  Does he hear me?  When will I get to meet him?" Suzumi embraced Haru, and held her for a moment or two.  

            "Your daddy hears you.  Every word you say, he hears.  He…he just can't find the right words to say." Haru dried her tears, and put her necklace back on.  The two waited a moment or two, then walked off back to the house.

.*.*.

            After school, Yuuhi and Aya went up to the roof.

            "Yuuhi, stop worrying about it.  It's just a coincidence.  Chidori is gone.  You can't keep holding onto your grief." Aya pleaded with Yuuhi.

            "But what if Chidori really came back for me?  If I just pushed her away, she would think I never loved her!"

            "Yuuhi!!  Chidori is buried with Aki and Touya.  They're all gone!  You can't let this consume you!" Aya grabbed Yuuhi's arm.  What she would give just to take Yuuhi's mind off of Chidori, and bring it back to her.  Since the day Touya died, Aya had turned to Yuuhi for support.  But now, Yuuhi wasn't so sure Aya was who he really wanted.

            "Let's just go home and worry about this later.  I want to see Haru." Aya's blue eyes pierced Yuuhi's heart.  How could he love her now?  If only she had felt that way before the Celestial Legend completely consumed their life, before Touya found his way to Aya's heart, before Chidori had come into Yuuhi's life.  Yuuhi turned away from Aya, and left the roof, heading down the stairs.

.*.*.

            "Haru!  Mommy's home!" Aya called, shutting the door and taking her shoes off.  She heard footsteps running towards the door, and a flash of yellow turn the corner and leap at her.

            "Mommy!!" Luckily Aya caught Haru.  "Guess where Auntie Suzumi took me!!"

            "Where?" Aya asked putting the girl down and giggling.

            "We went to go see Daddy, and I gave him flowers!"

            "I'm sure he loved them." Aya smiled, and cast a sidelong glance at the picture of Touya sitting on the table near the door.

            "Mommy?  Does Daddy ever talk to you?" Haru's eyes met Aya's.  Aya looked deep into her child's eyes.  A child's eyes.  They hold the innocence of youth.  The hope of becoming something great in life.  Endless dreams.  Endless possibilities.  All of these, so fragile that they could be shattered at any moment.

            "Mommy?" Aya snapped out of her daydream and smiled.

            "Sometimes Daddy talks to me.  But in a very special way." Haru cocked her head to the side.  Her eye's now filled with curiosity.  Another fragile trait that a child held.  Aya wanted her daughter to hold on to her childhood for as long as she could.  She didn't want Haru having the same fate she had.  The same destiny.  There was no more Ceres.  No C-Genome.  No pointless death and suicide.  At least not so close to home.

            Aya wished that her life could have been like that.  Nothing but laughter.  Friends.  Dreams.  Hopes.  But wishing had failed her many times in the past.  Aya had wished for the whole thing to be a joke.  A dream.  Anything but reality.  She had wished to go back to her normal life with friends.  Family.  Love.

            "Aya!  Don't forget you have homework to do!" Yuuhi called from his room.  Aya bounded off to her room to do her homework, leaving Haru to be with Suzumi.

            When Aya reached her room, she saw a picture of her, Aki, and their friends on their 16th birthday.  The picture was taken before Aya went to the fortuneteller.  She looked at it long and hard.  What would have happened if she didn't go to the fortuneteller?  Would her fate have been the same?  There was no point on dwelling on this now.  It was all over, and Aya was glad.  She flopped down on the floor, pulled out her English book, and got to work.


End file.
